Tree holder



Feb. 24, 1931. J. E. DOYLE n. 1,194,107

TREE HOLDER Filed Oct. 5. 1929 Patented Feb. 24, 1931 E 794 r UNITED rrsr ,r'ic

JAMES E. DOYLE AND JAMES E. MCWILLIAM, OF WORCEiTER, -MASSACHUSETTS TREE HOLDER Application filed ctoberr5, 1929. Serial No. 897,665.

Our present invention relates to holding 12andarear plate 13. The plates 11, 12, and devices, and more particularly to an im- 13 are preferably formed of a single stamping proved tree stand or holder. and the plate 13 which is normally in a sub- In the use of trees as an ornament, and par stantially vertical plane, has formed a cup- 6 ticularly in the use of Christmas trees, an im shaped depression 14L- on one face thereof and 55 portant accessory isthe provision ofmeansfor centrally arranged in such cup-shaped denot only quickly and accurately placing the pression ll, which may Depart of a sphere, is Christmas tree in position but also for holda perforation 15 for a purpose to be hereining the Christmas tree rigidly in the position after described. The plates 11, 12, and 13 decided upon. With the majority of people, form a unitary structure'which is secured to 60 a Christmas tree holder is a rather perishable parallelly arranged and vertically located article in that heretofore it has rarely been bars 16 by rivets 17 or other suitable fastencarried over from one year to the next and ings which pass through the plates ll.

V i this appears to be due primarily to the difii- The plate 12, which may be designated the culty experienced and skill required to set the bottom plate, is arranged parallel with the 5 same in position and alfix the Christmas tree floor and is spaced a slight distance there thereto. Numerous accidents result because from, as will be obvious from'an inspection of the inability of the average person to rigof Fig.2. This bottom plate 12 is provided idly set up a Christmas tree in the usual comwith a centrally" arranged perforation 18 mercial holder. through which may pass a screw 19 to enter A Christmas tree holder, to be successful, the floor on which the bars 16 rest." The bars should be simple in character and easily set '16 may be of any length desired and the ends up and adjusted by a relatively unskilled perare formed into ogee sections. Preferably son and as far we are aware, no such article we employ theogee end although any other is at present on the market. 'end desired may be utilized. I

In our present invention we have devised a Fitting within the spherical depression l l Christmas tree holder which may be manuis a segment of a sphere 21 provided at diafactured and sold at a minimum cost and metrically arranged points with forked memwhich will receive the ordinary Christmas bers 22 and the segment of a sphere 21 is tree and hold the same rigidly therein with provided with ahole or perforation of "8' little effort and the Christmas tree holder is greater area than the hole 15 in the segmental of such character as to hold the tree rigidly projection ll. The spherical section 21 is in the desired position without fastening in frictional engagement with the spherical W means of any kind although we find it dedepression 14 and it will be obvious that the v sirable and as an additional method of safety forked ends 22of such spherical projection 21 to provide means for securing the holder or may be moved to any position with relation stand to the floor or other base. But one to the sphericaldepression 1 within the fastening device, however, is necessary al-' limits of the structure. Preferably the p though more may be used if desired. forked ends 22 are in vertical alignment with The object of our invention, therefore, is respect to each other and are adapted, there- 1w an improved Christmas tree stand or holder. fore, to engage with the hole of the Christmas In the accompanying drawing illustrating tree or other structures 24. Passing through a preferred embodiment of our invention, --the holes 15 and 23 is a threaded screw 25 N Fig. 1 is a front elevation; provided on its outer end with an operating Fig. 2isa section on the line 22 of Fig. 3; handle 26 and by reference to Fig. 2 it will 5'11? Fig. 3 is a plan view, and be noted that such screw 25 screws into the Fig. 4 is a perspective View. bole or body; of the Christmas tree 24 and Referring to the drawings, 10 designates when the screw 25 is screwed into the bole generally an angle supportmg member comorbody 24 until the operating handle 26 on i 5 prised of spaced side plates 11, abottom plate with the outer face of the spherical 'fprojection l i, the bole or body 24 of the tree forces the spherical projection 21 into close engagement with the inner face of the projection 14 and holds the same rigidly in position.

It will be obvious that regardless of' the difference in diameter of the bole, of the tree 24 as far as the engagement of the upper forked member 22 and the lower forked member 22 is concerned, that the engaging screw 25 will still be able to draw the sphericalprojection 1% into close engagement with the inner face of tie spherical projection 14 and by this means the Christmas tree 24; will be held rigidly in position in the device.

While we have shown and described our preferred embodiment as being made of sheet material formed into a unitary structure, yet it is obvious that we are not limited to such a construction as the plates 11, 12, 13 and 14: may be made separate and fastened together in any approved manner and may be sheet metal or machined, as desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a. base, a tree support mount.-

ed thereon, a bearing surface formed on said tree support, a tree engaging member associated with the bearing member, and means for engaging the tree and drawing the tree engaging member into close association with the bearing member.

2. Ina device of the kind described, the combination of a pair of parallelly arranged supporting bars, a tree holding base secured to said bars and holding the bars separated from each other. a vertically arranged plate forming part of said tree holding plate, a bearing formed in said vertical plate, a sec ond bearing member associated with the first bearing member, tree engaging points formed integrally with said'second bearing member, and means associated with said hearing members and engaging a tree trunk to force the bearing members into locking position with respect to each other.

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a base, a pair of parallelly arranged supporting bars secured to the bottom of said base, a spherical bearing member carried by said base, a co-operating spherical bearing member associated with the first said bearing member and provided with vertically arranged tree engaging points, and a screw threaded member associated with said spherical bearing members and adapted to engage with a tree trunk and draw the spherical bearing members into locking. engagement with each other.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a base, a tree support mounted thereon, a bearing surface formed on said tree support, a tree engaging member associated with the bearing member, said tree surface associated with the spherical bear ing surface on the tree support, and means for engaging the tree and drawing the spherical bearing surfaces into frictional contact with each other, whereby the tree engaging member is locked against movement to sup port the tree rigidly in position.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

' JAMES E. DOYLE.

J AMES E. MOWI'LLIAM, 

